2023 LEN U23 SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Friday, August 11th – Sunday, August 13th
- Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre, Dublin, Ireland
- LCM (50m)
- Entries
- SwimSwam Preview
- Start Lists/Live Results
The inaugural LEN U23 Swimming Championships kicked off this morning from Dublin, Ireland with some swift swims across both the men’s and women’s events.
As a refresher, for the first edition, LEN is allowing one nation from four other continents to participate, although Russia and Belarus are still banned from competing.
Italy’s Anita Bottazzo raced her way to the top seed in the first event of the women’s 50m breast, notching a result of 30.08. That checks in as the 2nd-fastest time of the 19-year-old’s career sitting only behind the 30.03 nabbed in this heats at this year’s World Championships.
There in Fukuoka, Bottazzo ultimately placed 5th in a final time of 30.11, where her 30.08 from this morning would have placed 4th in Fukuoka, just .04 off the podium.
Ireland’s Mona McSharry was the 2nd seed this morning in 30.66 while USA’s Kaitlyn Dobler is in the mix as the only other sub-31-second swimmer in 30.89 as the 3rd seed.
21-year-old Emma Sticklen of the United States landed lane four for tonight’s final of the women’s 100m fly. The NCAA champion from Texas notched a morning swim of 58.43 to narrowly lead Ireland’s Ellen Walshe who captured the 2nd seed in 58.86.
Sticklen owns a lifetime best of 58.17 in this event from this year’s Pro Championships, so the Longhorn is already within range of that type of performance.
The men’s 200m freestyle saw one swimmer get under the 1:47 threshold in the form of USA’s Patrick Sammon.
The Arizona State University swimmer logged a morning time of 1:46.91, a time right behind his own lifetime best of 1:46.83 from this year’s U.S. Nationals.
Stars n’ Stripes teammate Aaron Shackell will flank Sammon for this evening’s final, producing an AM result of 1:47.07 while Greek athlete Dimitrios Markos will be on the other side with his 3rd-seeded 1:47.71.
Additional finalists in this men’s 200m free include USA’s Stanford commit Rex Maurer (1:47.98) and South Africa’s Matt Sates (1:48.10).
Of note, after having a string of illnesses, including mono (glandular fever), Italy’s Lorenzo Galossi fell to 37th place in a time of 1:51.93.
20-year-old Gabriel Jett of the United States wasted no time making his presence known, taking on the men’s 100m butterfly in a head-turning performance.
The Cal Bear ripped a new lifetime best en route to capturing the top seed, touching in 51.53 (24.44/27.09). That erased his previous career-quickest result of 51.61 (24.42/27.19) from this year’s U.S. National Championships.
Tonight Jett will be chased by Austrian national record holder Simon Bucher who was also quick out of the heats in 51.71.
Of note, Sates was in this race as well, finishing 10th in a time of 53.31.
The final event of the morning was the mixed medley relay, which saw the United States secure the top seed. The combination of Isabelle Stadden (59.63), Dobler (1:06.52), Jett (52.06) and Sammon (48.18) combined for a time of 3:46.39, the sole result of the field under the 3:50 barrier.
Additional Notes
- Great Britain’s 22-year-old Charlie Brown nabbed the top spot in the men’s 200m back, producing a swim of 1:58.23. That holds a narrow advantage over USA’s Hunter Tapp who was right behind in 1:58.23 while South Africa’s national record holder Pieter Coetze is in the hunt with his morning outing of 1:58.59.
- USA’s Isabelle Stadden put up the swiftest swim in the women’s 50m back, notching 28.09 to comfortably lead the field. The next-closest athlete in the heats was Poland’s Adela Piskorska who clocked 28.53.
- The men’s 50m breast saw Dutch swimmer Koen De Grut get it done to capture the pole position, earning a time of 27.27. Bulgaria’s Tonislav Sabev was next in 27.34 while Italy’s World Junior Record holder Simone Cerasuolo snagged the 3rd seed in 27.35.
- In a USA-less women’s 200m freestyle, Germany’s Isabel Gose was the clear standout of the morning heats with a time of 1:58.96. 21-year-old Gose earned bronze in this event at the 2022 European Championships.
- There were only 11 women who contested the 200m IM this morning. Great Britain’s Leah Schlosshan, the reigning European Junior Championships gold medalist, was a medal favorite but wound up not swimming. In her stead,it was USA’s Justina Kozan who scored the top time in 2:13.91. Walshe was also in this race, producing a morning swim of 2:15.01 as the next-fastest swimmer
Unfortunately rough return to competitions for Lorenzo Galossi who, almost exactly a year ago, swam a huge 7.43.37 in the 800 free (at 16 year of age) at European Champs 2022.
I really hope he can get back quickly, but the recovery is notoriously long with such issues. I know people who took well over 2 years to get back to PB shape after mono cases with additional complications. He has a long road ahead and will need patience and support. Good luck to him.
I remember it took 2 years for Martinenghi to set PBs again after his brilliant junior years and the following injuries. It takes time.
Huge pb from Jonathan Adam in the relay heats this morning. 53.56. British backstroking might finally be on the mend.
I have genuinely been wondering if Peaty’s UK legacy may end up being in backstroke lol. We look a long way off finding our next great breaststroker, but the depth in backstroke events is unprecedented. We’ve gone from ‘53.9 definitely wins trials’ to ‘53.9 could finish 5th at trials’ in 2 years. Two Juniors under 54.5 right in behind to keep them on their toes. Hopefully somebody makes the jump to 52s next summer.
Two juniors under 54.5? Ward is one, who is the other?
I had it in my head that Marshall had swum 54.4 at US nationals, but it was 54.5, 54.4 was his PB set in 2022. He’s also aged up which I’d missed, so it wouldn’t have counted anyway!
Jett overrated
What has Cal ever done to you?
Sour TX swimmer.
Andrew always bashes Stanford, Cal and the Ivy League – and anyone who goes there. I hope he’s not a college counselor.
He needs to get consistent and perform in his big races.
I think only 2 per nation for the finals. I think that’s the rule… at least in all other European competitions formats it’s that way. A maximum of 4 per nation in the heats, but only 2 per nation in the finals.
Because it’s European championships maybe only 1 athlete in finals from outside the continent?
Two athletes in final from outside the continent. A maximum of four swimmers from Non-LEN Federations may compete in the semi-finals of each event, with a maximum of two swimmers from Non-LEN Federations proceeding to compete in the final.
I don’t believe there are semi finals
Yes, but there are skin races 2023_LEN-European-U23-Swimming-Championships-Conditions-final.pdf (nuoto.com)
There is any link to watch it?
Matt Sates had the 5th fastest prelim time for the 200Fr, why is he not listed as qualifying for the final (according to the results page)? Is there a limit on non-Europeans in the finals?
My guess is that he scratched already. The US is in the final, so I don’t think it has to do with him being from South Africa.
In finals there’s a maximum of two swimmers from non European federations